8 Best Campervans for Families

Campervans fall into three broad categories. There are the high-end luxury models that are a miniature home away from home, packed with all the latest mod-cons and offering plenty of space for the family to work, sleep and play. Then come the middle of the road campervans with campstar, offering a decent amount of space that still requires everyone to be fairly polite to one another! And finally, you have the cheap and cheerful, the Mystery Machine enthusiasts’ campervan, best for sleeping just one or two people: or very good friends, otherwise! Let’s take a look at 8 of the best campervans for families.

VW Campervan/ Combi

If you are a certain age – or love old television shows! – you might immediately think of the VW campervan which earned a certain favour with audiences as being something like the Robin Reliant of vehicles you could live in: a bit rubbish, but sturdy and reliable and something of a secret pleasure. These cramped vans are hardly much bigger than a regular saloon car, and weren’t the most comfortable temporary accommodations. However, they are now collectors’ items and if you can find one, you will find yourself the envy of a rather niche crowd! Price very much depends on condition.

Volkswagen California

Based on VW’s tremendously popular panel van, this campervan can sleep four in comfort, has an extendable roof so you can enjoy a decent amount of headspace, and come fully equipped with everything you need for a home away from home. And just as well too: with an eye-watering £65,000 price tag, you could literally buy a flat or small house (perhaps in a bad area) for that!

Ford Transit Custom Nugget

Ford’s answer to the above California, this campervan is comically like its counterpart, also sleeping four, having a pop up roof for added headroom, and being fully equipped with all the mod cons for the enthusiastic glamper. The price tag, at £65,000, is, likewise, identical.

Volkswagen Grand California

As though wanting to prove themselves bigger and better than anything Ford can do, VW produced this model: bigger and better with four seats, a compact kitchen and a permanent bed. It even comes with a fully equipped, if bijou, wet room so you can camp and stay clean – something of a rarity! Of course, the price is equally enhanced, costing you anywhere from £80,000 – to £90,000.

Volkswagen Caddy California

Don’t worry, this model is not yet another step up in size, luxury and price. The Caddy California is a budget campervan, newly marketed at a relatively modest £30,000. Don’t be put off by its size – something akin to a generously proportioned estate car and certainly able to occupy only one parking space – the Caddy California pops out, unfolds and presents you with ample sleeping room for two (on a double bed, no less) and a tiny but more than adequate kitchen.

Toyota Proace Matino

Boasting two double beds, a kitchen and refrigerator, this campervan is another panel van conversion, this time from the Vivaro. The driving seats swivel to become part of the living area once you are in place, and despite the campervan’s small footprint, you will not feel cramped or claustrophobic. The price runs at about £52,000.

Mercedes Benz Marco Polo

A compact vehicle – about the size of a large-ish van – this campervan boasts that it can seat five, although even four people living inside would have to be excessively polite about it. Sleek and stylish with a good engine and excellent driving specs. The kitchen is well-equipped to meet all your camping needs and the pop-up roof will stave off some of the tightness of the space. The storage units are solidly built and pop in and out easily as needed. This is one for petit people who want to make a great impression on their fellow campers, costing around £70,000.

Renault Trafic

Laid out like one of the old classic campervans, this model combines the best of old-world nostalgia and modern space-making engineering. Sleeping between two and five people, this model has a small kitchen area, plenty of storage cupboards and all the mod cons you might need. Prices start from around £60,000 for a custom model, which can be tailored to accommodate small children or even pets in safety. Read an indepth Renault Trafic review for all the details you might need. With all these models, good comprehensive insurance is a must; as mentioned above, good campervans are not cheap, and you should not leave yourself at risk of losing your investment, not to mention your home away from home!